Mail-bag closure.



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MAIL-BAG CLOSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application led March 9, 1905. Serial No. 249,285.

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. STINsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwood, in the county of Leore and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improveniente in Mail-Bag Closures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in mail-bag' closures.

The object of the present invention is to provide a closure-fastening that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture,and durable in use.

Another object is to furnish the mouth of the bag with a rigid reinforcing-plate, which upon opening the bag will break at its center to hold the sides of the bag at an angle to facilitate the introduction or discharge of mail-matter.

The salient feature of my invention resides in the peculiar construction of the fasteningap and its association with the reinforcingplate above mentioned. This iap is hinged to i the top of the reinforcing-plate and has a joint at its center in alinement with the joint in the plate, so that when the bag is opened the iiap will project above the bag with its joint broken and form both a stop or trough for the mail being' thrown into the bag and a lock for the hinge thereof, which becomes practically rigid.

For a full understanding of the construction, merits, and advantages of my invention reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the mailbag' closure, showing the flap folded over the edge of the bag and locked in position. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the flap unlocked and standing above the edge of the bag. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the position of the parts when the bag is open and ready to be suspended to receive mail. Fig. 4 is a front perspective View of the closure device removed from the bag and the vertical joints thereof broken.

Waking renewed reference to the drawings, wherein similar characters of notation indicate corresponding parts appearing in the several illustrations, and reference being had thereto, l designates the bag, which has at its upper edge and upon one side thereof an eyelet 2, constituting one member of a suspension means. This eyelet is preferably arranged in the center of the bag, and beneath the same is an elongated opening 3, which receives the staple of the fastening device hereinafter described. Upon each side of the eyelet 2 are openings 4, through which the lugs 5 of the reinforcing-plate project. To the other side of the bag is secured, as by rivets, a reinforcing-plate 6, which is jointed atits center in a vertical direction, as at 7, the joint being such as to permit the two members of the plate to stand at right angles when the bag is opened, as shown in Fig. 3. This plate 6 is preferably secured. to the outer face of the bag'and also preferably covers onelialf or one side thereof, so as to leave the other side iieXible. Loosely mounted in the reinforcing-plate and straddling the vertical joint thereof is a staple 8, the ends of which are riveted in a plate 9. This staple projects through an opening in the side of the bag to which the plate is secured and also through the opening 3 in the other side of the bag when the mouth of the bag is collapsed, and in such position thelugs 5 also project through openings in the side of the bag to which the plate is attached and also through the openings 4 in the other side of the bag. While only two openings and two lugs are shown in the drawings, it is obvious that several may be employed as occasion may require, the function of these lugs being to hold the edges of the bag in parallelism with the top of the reinforcing-plate.

lO designates a liap-plate, which is hinged at its lower edge to the top of the reinforcing-plate 6. This flap-plate has a central vertical joint or hinge 11 in alinement with the joint 7 of the reinforcing-plate, so that when the flap is opened and standing above the edge of the bag both the plate and flap may be broken at the joints7 and l1 to hold the sides of the bag at an angle, as shown in Fig. 3, and in such position the flap serves the function of a trough or st op for mail which may be thrown into the bag, and by virtue of the shoulders 12, formed in the hinge of the joints 7 and 11, and the engagement of the shoulders with the adjoining member of the iap and plate movement of the members of the flap and plate is limited to a position approximately at right angles, the said shoulders forming stops. This position of the parts is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The flap-plate is provided with a central horizontal slot 13 and also with openings 14, so that when the flap is turned down over the edge of the bag, as shown in Fig. 1, the openings 14 will be pierced by the lugs 5 and the slot 13 will ride over the staple 3, or the staple 8 may be projected through said slot, inasmuch as it is loose in the plate 6. By arranging the lugs and the staples on the reinforcingplate or stationary member they at all times pierce one side of the bag even when the latter is open, as shown in Fig. 3, and they are readily forced through the openings 4 4 and slot 3 on the flexible side of the bag, and then when the flap-plate is turned down the slightly-projecting ends' easily enter the slot 13 and openings 14 and ferm a snug llit. Thus the lugs need not be made inclined on their lower edges nor the openings and slot made larger to clear the end edges of the lugs and the staple, as would' be necessary if the lugs and staple were carried by the iiap-plate. lVhen the parts are in this position, (shown in Fig. 1,) the joints 7 and 11 are out of vertical alinement, and consequently the joints cannot be broken. On the upper end of the pintle of the hinge and at the intersection of the joints is a ring 15, which constitutes the other suspending device for the bag.

l/Vith my improved closures it will beapparent that the material of the bag need not be provided with a flap and that the hinge between the reinforcing-plate and the Happlate serves as a reinforcing` bead which crowns both edges of the bag when the latter is closed, preventing mutilation of the edges and forestalling bending or breaking of the plates.

From the description thus far given it will be seen that to suspend the bag it is only necessary to engage it with hooks at two pointsnamely, at the eyelet 2 and at the ring 15- and the pull exerted will break the vertical joint in the plate 6 and flap 1() and spread the mouth of the bag and hold it open toits fullest extent, thus dispensing with a number of suspension devices which have heretofore -been necessary in order to keep the mouth of the bag fully open. It will also be seen that there is only one joint to break in order to open the bag, as both of the joints of the flap and the plate are in alinement when the flap is open.

To close the bag, the flexible edge thereof is flattened against the reinforced edge, and the lugs 5 and staple 8 project through the openings4 and slot 13, respectively, and when a suitable padlock 16 is secured in the staple the closure is completely held against being opened or loosened.

Vhat is claimed is- 1. In a mail-bag closure, a reinforcing-plate secured to one side of the mouth of the bag and provided with a joint at the transverse center of the bag, a flap-plate hinged to the upper edge of the reinforcing-plate and provided with a joint at the transverse center ofA the bag in alinement with the joint of the reinforcing-plate, and adapted to be folded over the other side of the mouth of the bag with the bead of the hinge crowning the edges of the bag, and means formed in the joints of the plates to limit the inward movement of the ends of the plates when the mouth is opened, substantially as specified.

2. Irl amail-bag closure, a reinforcing-plate composed of two members secured to one side of the mouth of the bag and hinged together vertically, a Hap-plate hinged to the top of the reinforcing-plate and composed of two members hingedl together vertically, the vertical hinges being in alinement and the members of the plates each having shoulders to abut with the adjacent member and limit the inward movement of the ends of said members when the mouth of the bag is distended, substantially as specified.

3. In a mail-bag closure, a reinforcing-plate composed of two members secured to one side of the mouth 'of the bag and hinged together vertically, a flap-plate hinged to the top of y the reinforcing-plate and composed of two members hinged together vertically, the vertical hinges being in alinement and the members of the plates each having shoulders to abut with the adjacent member and limit the inward movement of the ends of said members when the mouth of the bag is distended, in combination with a suspension device secured at the intersection of the hinges, and a second suspension device arranged intermediate the edges of the opposite side of the bag, substantially as speciljed.

4. In a mail-bag closure, a reinforcing-plate secured to one side of the bag at the upper edge thereof and having lugs projecting through openings in the bag and also provided with a staple projecting through a slot in the bag, a flap-plate hinged to the upper edge of the reinforcing-plate and provided with openings adapted to be pierced by the lugs on the reinforcing-plate and also having a slot adapted to be engaged by the staple carried by the reinforcing-plate, and means for locking said flap-plate to the staple.

5. In a mail-bag closure, the combination with the jointed reinforcing-plate which is secured to one side of the bag at the upper edge thereof, and a jointed flap hinged to the edge of said plate and adapted to be opened to bring its joint into vertical alinement with the joint of the reinforcing-plate, of asuspension means attached to the reinforcing-plate at the joint In testimony WhereofI ax my signature in thereof, and aseoond susgoension rnens formed presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

in the free ec ge of tie ag upon t e opposite side thereof, whereby when the bag is sus- WILLIAM A' bTI-NSON pended, the joints in the reinforcing-plate and Witnesses: flap-plate will be broken and the mouth of the THEODORE DALToN, bag held distended. W. H. STEVENS. 

